Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of our Protector, the one who shades us from all danger.
“The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul” (Psalm 121:5b-7).
Reminder #4: He shelters by day and by night.
God acts as a shade. The word comes from a root that has to do
with hanging over something, and it carries the connotation of protection. It
would be like a canopy of tree branches that protect someone from the hot sun.
According to v. 6, this shade is designed for protection both day and night.
However, the previous verses already addressed the idea of constant
watchfulness, so that all times of the day have previously been covered. I
believe the special flavor of these verses is in regard to the types of dangers
faced at different times.
The danger by day is the sun. Again, we have figurative language. I don’t believe the verse is primarily referring to God’s protecting us from sunburn, heat stroke, or dehydration. I believe the sun is representative of the dangers associated with the day. These are the labors and toils of life. These are the physical dangers that stem from the responsibilities of the day, from interactions with people, from the types of accidents and incidents that can arise during the time that everyone is awake and engaged in activity.
The danger by night is from the moon. This seems to be particularly cryptic. How can the moon hurt us?!?! Again, I believe the moon is representative of the dangers associated with the night. My personal opinion is that this is an entirely different category of danger and that it involves mental and emotional dangers. The moon does not share the same root (lunar) as lunatic for nothing. People have long believed that the moon influences our mental state. Certainly, nighttime is associated with fear and anxiety, with long wakeless hours when there are fewer stabilizing parameters for our thoughts, and when the mind can travel in dangerous directions. These threats tend to diminish or vanish in the light of day when we are again interacting with people and have the routine of activity.
I believe v. 7 supports my idea about physical day dangers and mental night dangers. It starts out by stating that God preserves from all evil. (The meaning is not necessarily limited to sinful or malicious intent, but it also includes adversity, affliction, calamity, something that we would view as bad.) The term “preserve” is to hedge about, guard, or protect; it is the same Hebrew word translated as “keep” in v. 3 and 5. All means all. If God is to guard us from all dangers, that would include the two aspects already considered – physical and mental. It would also include spiritual dangers, which is where the verse goes next.
The LORD will guard our souls. While the physical and mental dangers are real and serious, the spiritual dangers are supreme. They are also real, and there is nothing more serious. If God can keep our soul, we should have no fear that He can keep the rest of us. In some ways, the soul seems most vulnerable. After all, we can do something to protect ourselves physically; we can eat healthy foods, drive safely, and avoid the bad sections of town. We can even do something to protect ourselves mentally; we can seek laughter, stroke a pet, or deliberately focus our thoughts. But what can we do to protect our souls? Absolutely nothing. We are totally dependent on God for that.
None of these aspects – physical, mental, or spiritual – is too hard for God. More comforting, none of these aspects fall outside the realm of what God cares about. None of them are outside the sphere of what He has pledged Himself to protect. Insurance companies want us to insure everything – health, death, car, house, boat, belongings, vacations, pets, etc. When it comes to protection, God’s “policy” is all-inclusive. He covers everything. The psalmist’s conclusion is, “Hey, there is no part of your being that God does not protect.”
May God shade you this week in all aspects of your being, keeping you safe and sound by day and by night.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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